Draining Soap Dish

ABSTRACT

A soap dish is disclosed, the soap dish comprising a tray having a drain, a floor surface, and at least one rib projecting upward from the floor surface, the floor surface being angled in a direction extending towards the drain, the drain defining an opening in the tray so that a liquid can travel along the floor surface and exit the tray by way of the drain. The tray is removably secured to a base, and the base has at least one leg that is movable relative to the base from a first position to a second, different position, the first position arranging the base at a first height, and the second position arranging the base a second, different height. The soap dish is usable in a variety of settings, and is effective to drain water from the dish to increase the life cycle of the soap and the dish.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/768,501, filed Feb. 24, 2013 and titled“Two-Piece Draining Soap Dish with Adjustable Legs,” the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a soap dish, which has self-drainingaspects. The design of the soap dish is shown in U.S. Design applicationSer. No. 29/481,931 (owned by the Applicant), filed Feb. 12, 2014 andtitled “Draining Soap Dish,” the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein.

Common soap dishes frequently retain water due to their construction,and thus cause soap placed in the dish to degrade and the dish itself tobecome messy. The dish can also become corroded. As an example, manysoap dishes are constructed for use on countertops or other flatsurfaces (e.g., shower or bath ledges), and include a closed perimeter,which ends up trapping water within the dish. A user typically graspssoap from the dish, uses the soap in combination with water, and thenplaces the saturated soap back into the dish. Because the dish has aclosed perimeter that does not provide for drainage, the soap sits in apool of water and becomes degraded or otherwise soft. Thus, the soap'suseful life is decreased, as is the dish since the dish itself canbecome filthy and/or corroded.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a soap dish with self-draining aspectsthat is usable in a variety of settings.

A first aspect of the invention includes a soap dish. The soap dishcomprises a tray having a drain, a floor surface, and at least one ribprojecting upward from the floor surface, the floor surface being angledin a direction extending towards the drain, the drain defining anopening in the tray so that a liquid can travel along the floor surfaceand exit the tray by way of the drain, wherein the tray defines aperimeter adapted to receive a bar of soap. The tray is also removablysecured to a base, the base having at least one leg that is movablerelative to the base from a first position to a second, differentposition, the first position arranging the base at a first height, andthe second position arranging the base a second, different height.

In some embodiments of this first aspect, the base has multiple legs,each being movable relative to the base from a first position to asecond, different position, the first position arranging the base at afirst height, and the second position arranging the base a second,different height. Also, the base may have at least one fixed leg.

A second aspect of the invention comprises a soap dish, which includes atray having a drain, a floor surface, and at least one rib projectingupward from the floor surface, the floor surface being angled in adirection extending towards the drain, the drain defining an opening inthe tray so that a liquid can travel along the floor surface and exitthe tray by way of the drain, wherein the tray defines a perimeteradapted to receive a bar of soap, and the tray is associated with atleast one movable leg effective to move the tray from a first positionto a second, different position, the first position arranging the trayat a first height, and the second position arranging the tray a second,different height.

In an embodiment of the second aspect, the base includes an opening, andthe at least one movable leg is movable in and out of the opening fromthe first position to the second position. The tray may also beassociated with multiple movable legs effective to move the tray from afirst position to a second, different position, the first positionarranging the tray at a first height, and the second position arrangingthe tray a second, different height.

A third aspect of the invention includes a soap dish comprising a trayhaving a drain, a floor surface, and multiple ribs projecting upwardfrom the floor surface, the floor surface being angled in a directionextending towards the drain, the drain defining an opening in the trayso that a liquid can travel along the floor surface and exit the tray byway of the drain, wherein the tray defines a perimeter adapted toreceive a bar of soap. The tray is removably secured to a base, the basebeing engaged with a series of legs movable relative to the base from afirst position to a second, different position, the first positionarranging the base at a first height, and the second position arrangingthe base a second, different height, the base including at least onefixed leg arranged adjacent the drain for supporting the base.

Certain embodiments of this third aspect include a base with an openingfor each movable leg, the movable legs being movable in and out of theopenings from the first position to the second position to move the basefrom the first height to the second height. Also, in this and otheraspects, the tray may include a back wall and the multiple ribs canextend along and project outward from the back wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the subject matter of the presentinvention and of the various advantages thereof can be realized byreference to the following detailed description in which reference ismade to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a soap dish, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the soap dish of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3-4 are cross-sectional side views of the soap dish of FIG. 1 withits legs in retracted and extended states.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional back view of a tray of the soap dish of FIG.1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing particular embodiments of the present invention, specificterminology will be used for the sake of clarity. However, the inventionis not intended to be limited to any specific terms used herein, and itis to be understood that each specific term includes all technicalequivalents, which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similarpurpose.

A soap dish 10 is shown in perspective in FIG. 1, and in an explodedview in FIG. 2. It generally comprises a removable tray 20 and a base 40that receives the tray 20. Tray includes a drain 32 that allows forefficient drainage of water from tray 20, and base 40 includes a seriesof feet 60, 80, some of which are adjustable, for stabilizing base 40and thus soap dish 10. These and other aspect of soap dish 10 allow dish10 to be used in a variety of settings, such as on a counter top with araised sink, in a shower, or a bath, so that soap dish 10 can easilydrain water out of dish 10. Soap dish 10 therefore keeps soap withindish 10 from becoming degraded, and it also prevents destruction of dish10 itself.

Tray 20 of soap dish 10 includes a floor 22, that in some cases may beangled or sloped towards a front of tray 20, and a series of ribs 24projecting from floor 22. Alternatively, floor 22 may be flat and notangled. Ribs 24 project upward from floor 22, and in one embodiment areangled towards the front of tray 20. As with floor 22, however, ribs 24may not be angled in one embodiment, and are rather level. Anycombination of angled/level floor 22 and angled/level ribs (e.g., levelribs 24 with an angled floor 22) is contemplated.

Ribs 24 hold a bar of soap elevated above floor 22 and also allow fordraining of water along floor 22 to a drain 32. Ribs 24, in oneembodiment, each has a projection 26 at one end for contacting a bar ofsoap to prevent the soap from sliding off of ribs 24. In an alternateembodiment, one or more ribs 24 may not include a projection (e.g., themiddle rib 24). Ribs 24 are spaced apart from one another by asufficient distance so that a user can easily clean between ribs 24, forexample by sweeping the user's finger(s) between ribs 24 to remove anydebris. Ribs 24 may also extend up a back wall 28 of tray 20 to keep abar of soap spaced from back wall 28. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.1-2, three (3) ribs 24 are provided on tray 20, although more or lessribs 24 may be present on tray 20. Tray 20 also includes a perimeter,which has a lip 30 with a channel 31 arranged within lip 30, as shown inFIG. 5. In one embodiment, tray 20 has no sharp transitions, edges, orgrooves for soap to get caught in to provide for easy cleaning solely byhand without the need to use an external device (e.g., a tool(s)).

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, base 40 of soap dish 10 includes a cavity 41 forreceiving tray 20, and a perimeter 42 with a protrusion 43 extendingfrom it for engaging with lip 30 of tray 20. In particular, protrusion43 arranged on perimeter 42 of base 40 is engageable with channel 31 oflip 30 of tray 20 (FIG. 5) so that tray 20 may be firmly seated on base40 once it is placed within cavity 41. Tray 20 is therefore easilyremovable from base 40 for cleaning or other purposes. Protrusion 43 isconfigured such that, when engaged with channel 31 of lip 30 of tray 20,water cannot easily enter cavity 41 of base 40.

Base 40 also includes a set of bored cylinders 44, as shown in FIG. 2,for housing adjustable legs 60 associated with base 40. Referring toFIGS. 3-4, bored cylinders 44 include an opening 50 and an upper stepadjacent opening 50, as well as a lower step 70 at a bottom of eachbored cylinder 44. Positioned within each bored cylinder 44 may be anadjustable leg 60, which has a top section with a flange 68 and a recess66, and a bottom section with a peripheral recess 72. Adjustable legs 60may translate within bored cylinders 44. In one embodiment, a threadedbolt 47 and nut 64 combination are used to cause translation of legs 60.Indeed, separate nuts 64 may be positioned within each recess 66 ofadjustable legs 60, such that each nut 64 is stabilized within therecesses 66 (e.g., due to recesses 66 having the same shape as nut 64,which in some cases may be hexagonal). To prevent nut 64 from movingvertically out of recesses 66, nut 64 may be inset molded, adhered,press fit, or otherwise secured within recesses 66. Threaded bolt 47 maythen be threaded into nut 64 so that, when adjustable leg is rotated, itcauses translation of adjustable leg 60 along the length of bolt 47(e.g., due to the interaction between the threading on bolt 47 and nut64). In one embodiment, each bolt 47 is received within a bore 62through adjustable legs 60 during translation of legs 60.

A seat 46 may also be provided for stabilizing bolt 47 during movementof adjustable leg 60. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3-4, seat 46 includes anopening 59 for receiving a head of bolt 47, and a decreased diametersection 49 that prevents bolt 47 from moving beyond section 49. Achannel 48 is also arranged around opening 59 for receiving a cap 56.Cap 56 includes a flange 58 arranged to be positioned within channel 48,and an opening 57 defined by flange 58 for overlying the head of bolt47. Bolt 47 is inset molded with seat 46, in one embodiment.

At a bottom section of adjustable legs 60 is a peripheral recess 72 foroptionally engaging with a vinyl foot 74. Vinyl foot 74, in oneembodiment, includes an inwardly-extending flange 76 for engaging withperipheral recess 72 so that foot 74 is securely positioned on therelevant adjustable leg 60. Foot 74 may also be made of other materialsbesides vinyl, of course, such as a soft silicone rubber.

A front foot 80 is also provided on base 40, front foot 80 including achannel 81 for engaging with a vinyl cover 82, in particular itsinwardly extending flange 83. Again, vinyl cover 82 may be made of othermaterials besides vinyl, of course, such as a soft silicone rubber.

In use, tray 20 of soap dish 10 may be positioned within cavity 41 ofbase 40, and secured by way of the engagement between tray 20's lip 30and perimeter 42 of base 40. In particular, protrusion 43 extending fromperimeter 42 may lie within channel 31 of lip 30, as shown in FIGS. 3-4.In addition, adjustable legs 60 may be positioned within bored cylinders44, and nuts 64 arranged within recesses 66 of legs 60. Nuts 64 may beinset molded, adhered, or otherwise press fit within recesses 66. Then,bolts 47 may be inserted through seats 46 and into nuts 64 and legs 60.While bolts 47 are threaded through nuts 64 and into legs 60, seats 46can be pulled into bored cylinders 44 until engaged with the stepadjacent openings 50 of cylinders 44 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3). Thehead of bolt 47 may therefore rest within opening 59 of seat 46 withseat 46 in contact with the step. Caps 56 and vinyl feet 74 complete theconstruction of legs 60. In particular, caps 56 are inserted over bolts47 so that flanges 58 are arranged within channels 48 of seats 46, andopenings 57 are positioned over the head of each bolt 47. And, feet 74are press fit over the bottom of adjustable legs 60, such that eachinward flange 76 of feet 74 engages with peripheral recess 72 of legs60. Feet 74 act to provide a non-slip surface for legs 60.

In this condition, feet 74 may be rotated by a user, as shown in FIGS.3-4, to cause legs 60 to move in or out of bored cylinders 44. Indeed,when a user rotates a foot 74, it causes its associated leg 60 and nut64 to rotate along threaded bolt 47. This action results in movement ofadjustable leg 60 either into or out of bored cylinder 44, since nut 64is fixedly associated with the applicable leg 60. When a particular leg60 is extended to a maximum distance, as shown in FIG. 3, its flange 68contacts lower step 70 to prevent further movement of the leg 60. In oneembodiment, legs 60 can be moved in and out of bored cylinders 44 byabout approximately one and one-eighths of an inch (1⅛ of an inch).

Because of soap dish 10's adjustable legs 60, its front foot 80, and itsparticular drain 32, soap dish 10 is able to be used in a variety ofsettings and provide effective drainage during use. For instance, insome residential or other applications, a sink is provided with a raisedlip. With soap dish 10, a user is able to position front foot 80 on thelip so that drain 32 extends into the sink's basin. Also, the user mayadjust any of legs 60, as described above, such that legs 60 firmlycontact a countertop next to the sink's lip. This is described andtaught in detail in Applicant's provisional application, U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/768,501 (“the '501 Application”),incorporated by reference herein above. As also taught in the '501Application, the vertical rise of drain 32 may be such that it extendspast the lip of the sink and does not allow for sliding of soap dish 10off of the sink's lip. In other words, drain 32 may extend a ways intothe sink's basin so that, if soap dish 10 is moved laterally (e.g., byaccident or otherwise), drain 32 contacts the lip of the sink to preventdisassociation between drain 32 and the sink. The '501 Applicationdepicts this in detail at FIG. 6.

An additional aspect of soap dish 10, specifically its front foot 80,allows dish 10 to be placed in a variety of settings. As an example, ona sink with a radiused or curved lip, which is raised above the counter,foot 80 may be placed anywhere along the radius. This is not the casewith other designs. Foot 80, in particular its vinyl cover 82, alsoprovides a non-slip surface for contacting the lip of the sink. Soapdish 10 may alternatively be positioned at a straight edge and supportedat the edge by foot 80. As another example, soap dish 10 can be utilizedwith a sink having a lip flush with the counter, and legs 60 can beadjusted to fit that setting. Put simply, soap dish 10 is versatile inthat it can be used and adjusted to fit almost any setting. Otherenvironments in which soap dish 10 can be used include, for example, atan edge of a free-standing or drop-in tub. In this instance, foot 80 maybe situated at an edge of the tub and legs 60 may be adjusted downwardsso that they extend beyond the edge and hook in to stabilize soap dish10.

In all settings, soap dish 10 allows for efficient draining of waterfrom dish 10. In particular, after a user uses soap and places it backwithin dish 10 (e.g., on its ribs 24), water is allowed to run off ofthe soap, between ribs 24, and to floor surface 22 of tray 20 where itis directed to drain 32. In the case of an angled floor surface 22,water is quickly directed to drain 32 where it is emptied out of dish10. Also, when the user places the soap back into dish 10, it may engagewith projections 26 on ribs 24 and be stabilized at that location. Forinstance, if ribs 24 are angled towards a front of soap dish 10, a barof soap contacting ribs 24 will be forced towards projections 26 simplyby way of gravity. This effectively causes the bar of soap to be spacedfrom back wall 28 of tray 20 so that water is not trapped in that area,and a user can easily grasp the bar of soap during use. In particular,the user's fingers can reach behind the bar of soap since it is spacedfrom back wall 28 of tray 20, thus allowing the user to easily removethe bar from soap dish 10. Alternatively, if ribs 24 are level, the barof soap may be spaced from back wall 28 due to certain sections or ribs24 extending up back wall 28 and spacing the bar apart from wall 28.After multiple uses, the user may clean tray 20 either in the dishwasherand/or by wiping tray 20 with his/her fingers between ribs 24. Sincetray 20 is removable from base 40, it is easy to clean.

Due to the removability of tray 20, it is also possible to provide asystem in which a base 40 is provided, and multiple different trays 20are included with base 40 to fit different settings. For instance, trays20 having differently-sized drains 32 may be included with a particularbase 40 in a system. Each tray 20 may be designed for a particular use(e.g., a raised-sink setting, a shower setting, a flush sink setting,etc.), and the user may elect which tray 20 to use depending on thesetting.

The aforementioned components of soap dish 10 may be composed of avariety of materials, including different plastics and/or metals. It islikely that bolts 47 should be composed of stainless steel or anotherrust-proof metal due to the settings in which soap dish 10 is used. Inaddition, base 40 may be made of a plastic material, either with orwithout a metal decorative coating (e.g., a brass finish). Base 40 mayalso itself be made of a metallic, decorative material, such as brass oran aluminum material that is decoratively finished. Tray 20 may becomposed of a plastic material, which optionally comes in differentcolors and/or aesthetic designs. Due to the removability of tray 20, itwould therefore be easy for a user to purchase a number of differenttrays having different aesthetic designs. The user could, if needed,then remove a particular tray 20 and place it in the dishwasher andsubstitute in another tray 20 of the same or a different design whilethe first tray 20 is being cleaned.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A soap dish comprising: a tray having a drain, a floor surface, andat least one rib projecting upward from the floor surface, the floorsurface being angled in a direction extending towards the drain, thedrain defining an opening in the tray so that a liquid can travel alongthe floor surface and exit the tray by way of the drain, wherein thetray defines a perimeter adapted to receive a bar of soap; and a baseremovably secured to the tray, the base having at least one leg that ismovable relative to the base from a first position to a second,different position, the first position arranging the base at a firstheight, and the second position arranging the base a second, differentheight.
 2. A soap dish according to claim 1, wherein the base hasmultiple legs, each being movable relative to the base from a firstposition to a second, different position, the first position arrangingthe base at a first height, and the second position arranging the base asecond, different height.
 3. A soap dish according to claim 2, whereinthe base has at least one fixed leg.
 4. A soap dish according to claim3, wherein the at least one fixed leg is arranged adjacent the drain ofthe tray, such that a front of the base is supportable by way of thefixed leg.
 5. A soap dish according to claim 1, wherein the trayincludes multiple ribs projecting upward from the floor surface of thetray.
 6. A soap dish according to claim 5, wherein the tray includes aback wall and the multiple ribs extend along and project outward fromthe back wall.
 7. A soap dish according to claim 6, wherein one or moreof the ribs has a projection adapted to engage the bar of soap andprevent it from sliding off of the rib.
 8. A soap dish according toclaim 1, wherein a lip is arranged along the perimeter of the tray andthe base includes a perimeter surface, the lip being engageable with theperimeter surface to removably secure the tray to the base.
 9. A soapdish comprising: a tray having a drain, a floor surface, and at leastone rib projecting upward from the floor surface, the floor surfacebeing angled in a direction extending towards the drain, the draindefining an opening in the tray so that a liquid can travel along thefloor surface and exit the tray by way of the drain, wherein the traydefines a perimeter adapted to receive a bar of soap, and the tray isassociated with at least one movable leg effective to move the tray froma first position to a second, different position, the first positionarranging the tray at a first height, and the second position arrangingthe tray a second, different height.
 10. A soap dish according to claim9, wherein the tray is removably secured to a base, and the at least onemovable leg is attached to the base.
 11. A soap dish according to claim10, wherein the base includes an opening, and the at least one movableleg is movable in and out of the opening from the first position to thesecond position.
 12. A soap dish according to claim 9, wherein the trayis associated with multiple movable legs effective to move the tray froma first position to a second, different position, the first positionarranging the tray at a first height, and the second position arrangingthe tray a second, different height.
 13. A soap dish according to claim12, wherein the tray is associated with at least one fixed leg.
 14. Asoap dish according to claim 9, wherein the tray includes multiple ribsprojecting upward from the floor surface of the tray.
 15. A soap dishaccording to claim 14, wherein the tray includes a back wall and themultiple ribs extend along and project outward from the back wall.
 16. Asoap dish according to claim 9, wherein the drain has a vertical risesufficient to extend past a top edge of a sink.
 17. A soap dishcomprising: a tray having a drain, a floor surface, and multiple ribsprojecting upward from the floor surface, the floor surface being angledin a direction extending towards the drain, the drain defining anopening in the tray so that a liquid can travel along the floor surfaceand exit the tray by way of the drain, wherein the tray defines aperimeter adapted to receive a bar of soap; and a base removably securedto the tray, the base being engaged with a series of legs movablerelative to the base from a first position to a second, differentposition, the first position arranging the base at a first height, andthe second position arranging the base a second, different height, thebase including at least one fixed leg arranged adjacent the drain forsupporting the base.
 18. A soap dish according to claim 17, wherein oneor more of the legs includes a non-slip surface for providing tractionbetween the base and another surface.
 19. A soap dish according to claim17, wherein the tray includes a back wall and the multiple ribs extendalong and project outward from the back wall.
 20. A soap dish accordingto claim 17, wherein the base includes an opening for each movable leg,and the movable legs are movable in and out of the openings from thefirst position to the second position to move the base from the firstheight to the second height.